The Ultimate BBQ Breakfast Sandwich; and Tips on Sunny-Side Eggs!

It's rare that I ever have leftover pulled pork in the fridge.  Most of the time, I'm delivering pork to a customer or I'm hosting enough people at my own house to devour it all.  So, when I found a zip-top bag full of the porcine goodness one early Saturday morning, I invented this sandwich (or "Sammich" as I like to say):

Imagine the yolk oozing into the pork juices, and the toasted baguette soaking it all in.  Feel the crunch of the edge of the egg white and the crispy edges of the bark from the pulled pork as they mingle together in your mouth... yes, this; THIS was a good sammich!

You will need:

• A generous plug of pulled pork
• An egg (sunny-side up)
• Some good bread (Ciabatta, or French Baguette rolls work well)

This sammich is easy.  Well; I mean, if you've already invested 8-12 hours slow-smoking your pork shoulder, the rest is easy!  Toast the inside of your sammich bread.  My toaster has a "Bagel" setting that I use to toast only what will become the inside surface of the bread.  Butter both sides when they come out of the toaster.  Warm up your pork, and portion a hunk onto the bottom of the sammich.  While the bottom of the sammich starts to absorb the pork fat, turn your attention to the egg.

Runny yolks freak some people out.  This sammich is not for those people!  While the FDA would like nothing better than to snatch this egg right out of your hand for merely THINKING about eating the yolk raw, I plan to take my chances.  If you're super freaked-out, you an always buy pasteurized eggs or you could cook it a little more.  I HIGHLY recommend a runny yolk though, as it's flavor really enhances the pork.  The first step to the perfect sunny-side egg is a good egg pan.

Eggs are sneaky.  if there's a burr or a hot-spot in your pan, the egg will find it, stick to it, and make your life difficult.  This is why I have an "Egg Pan!"  This is a high quality, heavy, anodized aluminum pan with a good non-stick surface and a tight fitting lid.  When you buy this pan, you'll need to declare to your family, your household, your neighborhood, and your entire kingdom that this amazing piece of kitchen hardware is your "Egg Pan!"  It will cook nothing but eggs, omelets, and possibly bacon.  Nothing will touch it but silicon spatulas and wooden spoons!

Heat up your egg pan on high heat, and toss in just a small dab of butter.  When the butter sizzles, slowly and carefully ease your egg(s) into the pan.  Immediately reduce the head to medium.  Be patient, resist the urge to slide the eggs around.  Once the bottoms turn white, add about a teaspoon of water to the pan and put on the lid to trap the steam.  The steam will cook the albumen (the gooey part of the egg right under the yolk).  With some gentle prodding, you can "pop" the eggs loose and slide them around your pan.  I like a crispy edge!

Slide the egg right out of the pan and onto your sammich.  Don't worry if you break the yolk during the process, you'll break it anyway once you take your first bite.  If you've done this correctly, the top bun will soak in some yolk while the bottom bun soaks in some pork fat,  When you bite into the sammich, you'll feel some crunch from the toasted surface, the edge of the egg, and the bark on the pork.  Your tongue will be coated with egg yolk and pork fat while your teeth pull that glorious pork apart and mix it all together!  Mmm MMM, Sho' am good!

Key Lime Pie Conundrum

Key Lime Pie is probably most dangerous of all the pies.  There are pie snobs out there who would dare take a bite of a Key Lime pie and declare, "That's not really Key Lime Pie."  This is akin to returning home to TX from your vacation in the Carolinas and declaring that "This isn't real BBQ!"  You might get your hat handed to you... with your head in it!

The problem is the limes.  The Florida Keys are home to those tiny mini-superball sized limes.  Those limes are as valuable to the locals as pearls when it comes to pie!  When they're in season, they're almost as sweet as they are sour and you don't have to be a pastry chef to tell the difference between them and a regular hand-sized lime (which are probably from Mexico).

If you want to make a Mexican Lime pie, be my guest!  It will be good, but it won't "sell" as a Key Lime Pie, that's for sure.

You will Need:

CRUST

• 1.5 Cups of crushed graham crackers.  That's about 16 crackers.  I use half cinnamon crackers, half regular, and a food processor to "Crumb" them
• 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 whole melted stick of unsalted butter

PIE FILLING

• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 Cup FRESH KEY LIME JUICE (approximately 12-16 key limes, so get to squeezin'), strained (no seeds or pulp skins)
• 2 tsp lime zest

 WHIPPING CREAM FOR GARNISH (OPTIONAL)

• 1/2 c heavy whipping cream
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions:


CRUST:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F
2. Mix the ingredients together with a fork and press them into a 9 inch pie plate
3. Bake in oven in middle rack for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned
4. Remove from oven, and cool on rack, leave the oven on at 350

PIE FILLING:

1. In a stand mixer with the whipping attachment, beat the egg yolks on medium speed until they are thick and turn dark yellow.
2. Turn the mixer off and add the sweetened condensed milk.  Now, turn the mixer speed to low and drizzle in 1/2 of the lime juice.  Once the lime juice is incorporated, add the other half of the juice, keep mixing while slowly ramping up the speed, until the mixture is completely smooth.
3. Toss in the Zest, but mix it in with a fork, by hand, so the paddle attachment (or beaters) won't pick them out.
4. Pour the custard mixture into the pie shell and bake at 350 degrees F for 12 minutes to set the yolks.
5. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for approximately 2 hours to set.

WHIPPING CREAM (Optional... some Key Lime purist will skip this step):

In a stainless steel medium bowl, combine whipping cream, sugar and vanilla and whisk by hand until creamy peaks form.  Smooth the whipping cream evenly over the top of the pie.  Garnish with a slice of key lime.

The Guacamole Method

Great guacamole comes from great ingredients, to be sure, but there's also a method to the madness!  Follow these instructions and they'll take you down a path to guacamole heaven, I promise!

You Will Need:

• 8 Avocados, soft to the touch
• Juice of 1/2 Mexican Lime (the "big" ones)
• 4 Large Roma Tomatoes (Yes, Roma.  No subs)
• 1 Medium Red onion (finely diced)
• 1 "Bunch" Cilantro (Remove the bottom "inch" of stems, finely dice the rest)
• 6 Peeled Garlic Cloves, beaten to a paste
• 2 Jalapeno Chilis
• 2 Tbsp Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
• Salt & Pepper

When most people make guacamole, they're tempted to chuck all of the ingredients into a bowl and then beat the holy smokes out of it until it's a smooth green paste.  Do NOT do this, no matter how sorely you're tempted.  There's a method to the madness here, and for good reason.

Before you start, get a couple of bowls ready, along with a big cutting board.  Sharpen your knives.  You want your prep-station to flow with you.  Use one bowl for trash (onion skin, avocado pits, etc) and one for your guacamole.  Assemble all of the product prior to getting started.  The goal is to plant your feet firmly and to work through it, concentrating on textures and methods, and not running around the kitchen looking for stuff.

Begin with the garlic. I like to use a Molcajete (Mole-cah-HET'-tay) to smash the ever-loving bejeezus out of my garlic cloves.  Pummel them into pulp so you can squeeze ALL of the flavor out of these little buds.  Pound, beat, or smash them until you need a spoon to scoop them up and put them in your bowl.

Now, for the avocados!  You want an avocado that feels heavy for its size.  The skin is tight to the pulp in the middle, and nothing feels "loose."  If you squeeze it with your finger-tips, you should easily be able to leave an dimple in it.  If the avocados are too hard or too mushy, forget the whole idea and find another market to buy the good stuff, or leave the hard ones in a paper bag for a few days until they properly ripen.  Pop the little bud-stem out of the end (nobody wants to eat those) and then slice it open and remove the seed.  Scoop the green goodness out and into the bowl, on top of the garlic.

Now, time to mash and stir.  Use a potato masher and press through all of the stuff, squeezing it through the steel of your masher.  Once you've smashed each orb at least once, get a big paddle or spoon and vigorously stir it a few times, until it's uniform in color but still a little "chunky."  Add the lime juice and stir it in well.







You don't want a smooth paste here, we're not looking for a sandwich spread, we're looking for a "salad," right?  Check the picture on the right.  Pea-sized chucks of avocado are still around, and this is a good thing!

Now, chop the entire "bundle" of cilantro into a fine dice and add it to the top.  Stir, stir, stir some more.  Keep the chunks alive, but integrate the cilantro deep into the salad.  Do NOT taste this yet!  You won't learn anything and we have a long way to go!

Once you've stirred in the Cilantro, dice and add the Jalapenos.  Add one now, and save the other for fine-tuning, later.  Go ahead and add the Creole Seasoning.  I know, Guacamole isn't "Creole," it's from Mexico.  Still, Tony Chachere's has EXACTLY what Guacamole needs to become a world mega-star, so do it.  Stir it in and give it a little taste.  It should be "almost a bit too salty, but not quite so."  We still have onions and tomatoes to add, so.. don't spend too much time fine-tuning anything.  We'll have time for that, later.

Dice the onion into the smallest bits you can, and add them to the salad in the bowl.  NOW, do NOT "stir" this like crazy.  It's time to FOLD the salad over and on top of itself.  You don't want to tear and bruise the onions, they give the salad a nice little "crunch" so you want to keep their integrity!  Gently fold the salad over and over until the onions almost "disappear" into the mix.

Dice and add the tomatoes.  Again, you don't want to crush them, they look better, and they add so much to the "bite" of the salad if they're left as little cubes.  You're using Roma tomatoes here, which are very firm and should hold together well.  Gently fold the tomatoes into the salad.  Sing gentle lullabies to the guac during this phase, it will help calm everyone down... think gentle thoughts...

Ok, NOW we're ready to taste and fine tune this beautiful salad into the Hall of Fame rock-star it was born to be!  Taste it.  You might want some more heat.  If so, dice the other Jalapeno and toss it in.  You might want some more salt and/or pepper.  If so, go ahead and pinch some in, but be careful!  Remember, you'll probably eat this with chips, and chips are salty, so don't over-do it!

This makes a BIG bowl of guacamole!  You can see my latest batch here, with a run of homemade salsa (we had "Taco Night" with all of the neighbors).

If you have guacamole leftover, be sure to store it with a layer of plastic-wrap pressed down over the top of the surface, to keep it fresh and "Green!"  Be sure to press as much of the air out as possible!  Snap on a lid and drop it into the fridge.  It should say fresh, green, and delicious for 3-5 days.

Homemade Pastrami (Smoked Corned Beef)

So, you've been watching the Food Network channel again, and you're shaking your head at why, on God's earth, anyone would take the time to cut a whole-untrimmed brisket out of a cow, brine/cure it, de-salinate it, then spend 24 hours spicing and smoking it!?  I'll tell you why they do it... because it is FREAKING DELICIOUS and it is the best homemade pastrami you or your friends will ever eat! 

You will need:

• 1 whole, untrimmed, corned beef brisket
• 1 Cup of Pastrami Rub
• 1/4 cup of cracked black pepper
• 1/4 cup of smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1/4 cup of Chili Powder
• 1 Smoker (with lots of wood (I used Mesquite))

All pastrami starts with corned beef, and all corned beef starts with a brisket.  If you want to start with a regular brisket and pickle it yourself in a brine with caraway seeds, salt, and other spices, be my guest.  You'll have homemade "Corned Beef."  Personally, I find it to be a long and rather tedious process (thus, I buy them already corned).

 

Sadly, most stores only sell the corned beef "Flat" and not the whole brisket.  If that's all you can find, it will work but it won't be quite as juicy because you'll be missing most of the fat cap and other marvelous parts of the whole brisket.  Google around and see if you can find one.  Don't buy anything with the word "cut" in the label.  For heaven's-sakes, you don't want one that's already sliced!  That's YOUR job!

I source my corned beef from Restaurant Depot.  You can see here, I found one that weighed a ridiculous 26lbs!  It was 27 inches long and just a "Brute!"  I joked with some "Big Green Egg" smoker users that it would not fit on a 24" XL egg.  They all got defensive and scolded me, "Oh yeah?  Well it would fit on mine, I know it would!"  Ok, if you can fit a 27" peg into a 24" hole, I'd love to see it.  Big Green Egg people are so crazy, but I digress...

Take your corned beef brisket out of its packaging and drain the ooze.  Slide it right into a bucket of cold water, and stash the buck into the fridge.  Why?  Salt!  Corned beef is brined/cured and loaded with salt.  When you put this thing onto the smoker, you'll be rendering fat and moisture out of it and thus, concentrating the salt.  Trust me, taking some of the salty brine back out of this beast before smoking is critical.  I soak it for an hour per pound which means, 26 hours for me!  Change the water out with fresh ice water every couple of hours because the salt that leaches out will end up in the water and you'll want to flush it way every now and then.

After the soaking, lay it out onto a stable work surface and notice that you won't seem to stop it from oozing water!  Yes, it's water-logged... just keep pressing and dabbing with paper towels until you get the water out.  You'll be left with a giant pink slab of corned, de-salinated brisket that looks very sad.  Do NOT stop at this point and think, "What have I done?  This can't possibly ever taste good, I mean, just LOOK at it!"  Settle down, it will be OK!

Mix up your rub and get to spreading it all over.  Press the rub as deep as you can into the cracks, crevasses, folds, etc.  Rub and press, press and rub, sip an adult beverage and remind yourself that very few people in the world are dedicated enough to take three days to cook a piece of meat!  Those people are NOT "Crazy," they are respected and revered as "Culinary Beasts!"

Now, wrap the entire thing in a cocoon of plastic wrap, and leave it out on the counter to rest it up to room temperature (at least 4 hours, no more than 12). If your brisket is as big as mine was, you may need a buddy to help you flip and turn it while you wrap it up tightly.  Wrap it tightly enough so that it doesn't leak or that the dogs won't sniff it out!

Ok, several hours later, the rub should have melted into the meat, and it should all be up to room temperature.  Get your smoker ready!  Remember, you're looking for a thin blue wisp of smoke out of the stack (Nearer of the two smokers in this picture), NOT a thick white billowy "Summon a new Pope" kind of smoke (Farther of the two)!

Pre-heat your smoker to 225 degrees and when you have good smoke, a good bed of coals, and the temperature is right, lay the beast onto the bed of your cooking chamber.

Here comes the hard part... Keep in cooking/smoking at 225 for an hour per pound.  For me, that was 26 hours!  If everything comes together as it should, the internal temperature of the brisket should be touching 200 degrees at that time.

The brisket won't take any additional smoke after about 12 hours so if you want to wrap it in foil, and bring it into the house and into your oven at 225 for the other 12 hours, that works just fine!  Keep a temperature probe inserted and keep an eye on it.  It will "Stall" at 165 for awhile but just wait it out... Once it melts away the connective tissues, it will continue to rise!

When it hits 200, it will be done and it will need to "Rest" for 45 minutes or so.  Just take it out of the cooking chamber, cover it with foil and let it sit all by itself.  I know, I know, it looks like a giant black lump of coal... just wait!

After it's done resting, take a deep breath!  You've worked hard for this moment!  You've soaked, rubbed, rested, and smoked this damn thing for hours and hours!

Start slicing against the grain and behold, you'll have a dark red, fall-apart hunk of homemade pastrami!  Wow, is it ever good!  You've had a Reuben sandwich, right?  It's time to build Reuben's hot cousin; "Rachael!"  Get some think pumpernickel bread, smear on some dressing, a bit of kraut, and then heap on some pastrami while it's still hot... There's no better sandwich in the world!!

"Reverse Searing" - Cooking Steaks Backwards for More Flavor!

Traditionally, cooks prepare their steaks by searing them first over high heat, then baking them in an oven (or in a grill) to develop the inside of the steak to their desired doneness.  Some cooks are reversing this process and they're achieving magnificent results!  Cooking the steak very slowly to the desired doneness first, and THEN grilling a nice crust on it makes for a much larger section of "Medium-Rare" (or whatever you prefer) in the middle, and for a much nicer crust on the exterior, since the steak is already warm when it ultimately hits the fire.  Have a look at this Filet!  I mean... how "Yum" is this:

You will need:

• 1 Thick Steak (2" or so should do it)
• A Grill with direct and indirect surface cooking
• Seasoning

I started with three beautiful Filet medallions.  I seasoned them on both sides and then I used some of those cool new food-grade silicon rubber-bands to snap some thick slices of bacon around them.  Aren't they cute?  Let these sit, unmolested, on the counter until they come up to room temperature.  While this is happening, it's a good time to pour yourself a nice beverage before going outside to build a fire in your grill.

In this picture, you can see my adult beverage as we patiently wait for the cooking chamber of my smoker to reach 275 degrees.  The fire is lit, the steel is heating up and we're well on our way to 275.  The idea here is to "bake" the steaks at a low temperature until they reach your desired doneness.  In my case, that means Medium Rare and 125 degrees. 

When your cooking chamber (Grill, Smoker, Oven, whatever) hits 275 degrees, lay in your steaks and jab a temperature probe into the center of one, so you'll know exactly when it hits your target temp.  This isn't very exciting.  I mean, you won't hear that satisfying "sizzle" when you lay the steaks on.  Also, it could take up to 45 minutes or an hour for the steaks to reach 125 on the inside.  Discuss time management philosophies with your beverage and wait it out.  Your patience will be rewarded!

Once your steaks hit their target temperature (125 for me), take them off the heat and let them rest (covered with foil) for about ten minutes.  Then, lay them over the hot fire!  Now they will sizzle!  Grill them over hot fire for at least a minute per side, but not for more than 90 seconds.  Disregard the salmon on the indirect side of the grill in this picture... I had a guest who preferred salmon to steak (go figure).

When the steaks come off after the sear, they should have a nice crust on them, and since they were already rested, they should be ready to slice and serve immediately.  Note the juice, the moisture, the perfect level of doneness, the crust... additionally, there was an infusion of a smokey flavor that you wouldn't ordinarily get with a traditional grilling method.

"Reverse Searing" may not be for everyone, but I encourage you to try it at least once.  Ribeye, Filet, and NY Strips are all excellent candidates for a reverse sear.  I know I enjoyed mine a LOT!

A Duck Walks into a Bar...

A duck walks into a bar and the bartender says, "Why don't you stay for dinner?"  Seriously, ducks are very under-appreciated at the grocery store.  Why we wait for the holidays to eat them is anyone's guess, and every year I vow to eat more of the little buggers.  Everything about them is delicious, from their crispy skin to their amazing liver.  Even their fat is better than butter!  So, get yourself a duck and prepare to cook it.  The method described here is "Whole Smoked Duck" in a spicy orange marinade.  Let's get started!

 
You will need:

• 1 Whole Duck (thawed, 5lb)
• 2 Tsp each:
• Chili Powder
• Kosher Salt
• Ground Pepper
• 1/4 Cup each:
• Chicken Broth
• Undiluted frozen orange juice
• Orange Marmalade 

The duck I bought came with a packet of orange sauce.  I used the recipe here instead, because its hard for me to trust packets that don't list ingredients on the labels.  Do you ever wonder what's in that "Gravy Packet" that slides out of a raw turkey?  Yeah, me neither.  It goes straight to the garbage, but I admire them for trying!

Ok, slice your duck out of its packaging and rinse it thoroughly with cold water, then dry it off with paper towels.  Lay it out on a cutting board and have a closer look.  It resembles a strange elongated chicken with stubbier legs, doesn't it?  Note that the breasts are a bit smaller than a chicken's, and there is a bit more fat in pockets all over the bird.  There is more fat on the back of the bird than the breast, so we'll cook it with it's backside UP so the fat can drip down and help season the rest of the bird while it cooks.

Once you've inspected it, place the duck in a bowl and get the marinade ready.  Mix all of the ingredients together in a smaller bowl and then pour them over the duck.  Flip the duck over and over until it's completely covered inside and out.  Park the duck bowl in the fridge for a few hours (uncovered), then take it out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter while you get your fire ready.

Ready your grill or smoker for indirect heating.  This little quacker will lie, breasts down, directly on the grate of your grill, away from any direct flames.  It's a sad day for the duck, but a banner day for YOU!  Bring the temperature around the duck to 225 degrees, tuck a thermometer probe up under its armpit and into the meat of the breast.  Poor girl.  She looks "defeated" doesn't she?  Don't worry, she'll go out in a blaze of glory! 

Leave the ducky inside the grill for about 4 hours at 225.  My duck weighed 5.5lbs so yours may take more or less time, just be sure to watch your thermometer and don't open the grill to peak!  Here she is when her breasts hit 165 degrees!  Note how the skin tightened up and browned ever so nicely?  Ducks are so marvelous!  Cover with foil and let it rest for about 20 minutes before you slice it for serving.

Ok, how glorious is this duck?  The skin is crispy and very rich.  There is a hint of orange with a nice juicy and smoky goodness to the whole thing.  I cut the duck straight down the spine, in half, from top to bottom, then I roughly cut portions from leg, thigh, breast, and wing.  It did not last long!

I managed to save just enough to make a small duck sandwich today, but the rest disappeared in less time than it took to take the green beans off the table and to put them back into the fridge.

Christmas Cranberry Chutney

The real "Art" in cooking comes when you manage to take several ingredients that have no business hanging out together, and you convince them to "sing" together in a dish that sounds like a heavenly choir. For example, nobody in a zillion years would ever expect to find cranberries, sugar, onions, and garlic playing blissfully together in the same playground and yet here they are, thicker than thieves!

My friend Barbara passed this along to me and it is nothing short of miraculous.  Poured over a block of cream cheese, or a warm Brie, this Chutney will make any Christmas appetizer table proud:

You will need:
Round 1:

• 1 Cup of Sugar
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion (small dice)
• 2 Cloves of Garlic (Minced)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Cardamom
• 1/2 Teaspoon Powdered Ginger
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Cup Water

Round 2:

• 2 Cups Fresh Cranberries (Chopped)
• 1/4 Cup Vinegar
• 1 Cup Raisins
• 4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

Round 3:

• 2 Tablespoons Corn Starch
• 2 Tablespoons Cold Water

One quick word about the Cardamom and Cloves, if you can't find the ground powdery version of these spices, you can put whole cloves and cardamom pods into a coffee grinder and get "medieval" on them!  Heck, they may even "Christmafy" your next batch of morning coffee!  You're welcome...  Combine all of the ingredients from Round 1 (above) into a pot and bring it all to a boil.  Keep stirring until all of the sugar is dissolved.  Let it boil for about 10-15 minutes.  I know what you're thinking... "Onions, Garlic, and... CLOVES?  SUGAR??"  Yes.  Trust me.

After ten minutes or so, add the stuff from Round 2 (above) into the pot.  Stir it together, introducing the berries to the onions and the ginger to the raisins, etc.  Be their host!  Help them to feel at home with lots of gentle stirring.  Smiles all around... Brown sugar, White sugar, all blissfully getting along.  Stir and boil for a few minutes longer.

After five minutes or so, the raisins will plump up with juice and get all full of themselves.  They'll try to start a fight.  This is typical raisin behavior... Just keep stirring and the froth from the fighting will settle when all of the players realize just how much they need and love one another.  During this "Enlightenment" period, discreetly mix Round 3 (above) together in cup.  When the pot is distracted, pour Round 3 in and quickly stir it together.  This is the glue that will bind them!

Once you have a nice simmering bubbly mixture of Christmas goodness (your house will smell like Santa farted in it), ladle the hot mixture carefully into 1/2 pint mason jars.  Stash the jars in the fridge.  Due largely to the vinegar, this Chutney will last a LONG time.  I've never worried about it much though, because it gets eaten... quickly.

To serve, just pour a cold jar of the Chutney over a small wheel of Brie, Camembert, or Cream cheese and spread on your favorite crackers.  It's fun to watch the expression of your guests as their brains grapple with the sweet vs. savory elements of it all!

They'll keep eating and wondering and savoring and grappling until it's gone....